Polymerizable compositions comprising acrylonitrile and a vinyl or isopropenyl amino aromatic compound and polymerization products thereof



The various isomers of amino methyl styrene can be represented by the following formula:

C H==C Hi The various isomers of isopropenylaniline can be represented by the following formula:

v CH3 (IJ=CH2 The present invention has, as one of its main objects, the production of new acrylonitrile co-J polymer compositions which are more readily dyed, especially with acid dyes, than homopolymeric acrylonitrile or many of the copolymers of acrylonitrile and another monomer or monomers that were known or suggested-prior to my invention.

Another object of the invention is to prepare such copolymers which can be spun or otherwise shaped to form filaments, tapes, ribbons, rods, sheets, etc., and the shaped articles then dyed either before or after having been oriented or treated to improve their useful properties.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description and examples which follow.

These objects are accomplished, in general, by preparing a copolymer of ingredients comprising acrylonitrile and one or more substituted aromatic compounds of the `kind embraced by Formula I. I'he copolymer advantageously is produced, for instance, by polymerizing in an aqueous medium, with the aid of a polymerization catalyst or catalysts, a mixture of monomers including acrylonitrile and the vinyl or isopropenyl amino compound, the latter constituting from about 1% to about 20%, more particularly from about 1 or 2% to about 10 or 15%, by weight of the total amount of the Vinyl (or isopropenyl) amino compound and acrylonitrile employed; and, at the end of the. polymerization period, isolating the resulting copolymer.

Any suitable means may be used in effecting copolymerization of the basic comonomer embraced by Formula I with the acrylonitrile. Heat, light, or both heat and light, with or without a polymerization catalyst. can be used. A polymerization catalyst preferably is employed in order to shorten the period of time required for polymerization of the mixture of ingredients comprising acrylonitrile and aforesaid'basic comonomer. Any of the polymerization catalysts which Iare suitable for use in polymerizing compounds containing an ethylenically unsaturated grouping, specifically a. vinyl grouping, can be employed. Among such catalysts' are the inorganic peroxides, e. g., hydrogen peroxide, barium peroxide, magnesium peroxide, etc., `and the various organic peroxy catalysts,'illustrative examples of which latter are: the dialkyl peroxides, e. g., diethyl peroxide, dipropyl peroxide, dibutyl peroxide, dilauryl peroxide, dioleyl peroxide, distearyl peroxide, di-(tert.butyl) peroxide and di-(tert.amyl) peroxide, such peroxides often being designated as ethyl, propyl, butyl, lauryl, oleyl, stearyl, tert.-butyl andl tert.amyl peroxides; the alkyl hydrogen peroxides, e. g., tert.- lbutyl hydrogen peroxide (tert-butyl hydroperoxide), tert.amyl hydrogen peroxide (tert.amy1 hydroperoxide), etc.; symmetrical diacyl peroxides, for instance peroxides which commonly are f phthaloyl peroxide, benzoyl peroxide, etc.; fatty oil acid peroxides, e. g., coconut oil acid peroxides,etc.; unsymmetrical or mixed diacyl peroxides, e. g., actyl benzoyl peroxide, propionyl benzoyl peroxide, etc.; terpene oxides, e. g., ascaridole, etc.; and salts of inorganic per-acids, e. g., ammonium persulfate, sodium persulfate, potassium persulfate, sodium percarbonate, potassium percarbonate, sodium perborate, potassium perborate, sodium perphosphate, potassium perphosphate, etc. Other examples of organic peroxide catalysts that can be employed are the following:

Tetralin hydroperoxide Tert.-butyl diperphthalate Cumene hydroperoxide Tert.'butyl perbenzoate 2,4-dichlorobenzoyl peroxide Urea peroxide -f Caprylyl peroxide p-Chlorobenzoyl peroxide 2,2-bis (tert-butyl peroxy) butane Hydroxyheptyl peroxide Diperoxide of benzaldehyde Other so-called free radical types of catalysts, e. g., ma-azodiisobutyronitrile, yalso can be used to accelerate polymerization.

If desired, the mixture of monomers can be polymerized in emulsion or in solution state to yield a copolymer. Good results are obtained by eecting copolymerization while the monomers are dissolved in a suitable solvent, preferably water or a liquid solvent comprising mainly water. Suitable inert organic solvents also can be used if desired, e. g., benzene, toluene, xylene, etc. Preferably the copolymerization reaction is carried out in a liquid medium in which the monomeric mixture is soluble but the copolymer is insoluble, e. g., Water.

The polymerization also can 'be effected by conventional bulk polymerization technique, in the presence or absence of a solvent capable of dissolving the monomeric mixture and in which the latter preferably is inert; or by conventional bead polymerization methods. The polymerization of the mixture of monomers can be effected by a continuous process as well as by a 'batch operation.

The concentration of the catalyst is relatively small, e. g., from, by weight, about 1 part of cata'lystper 1000 parts of the monomeric mixture to about 3 or 4 parts of catalyst per 100 parts of the mixture of monomers.

The temperature of polymerization of the polymerizable composition comprising acrylonitrile and one or more vinyl (or isopropenyl) aromatic compounds of the kind with which this invention is concerned, and in the proportions Ispecified in the first paragraph of this specification, can be varied over a wide range, up to and including or slightly above the boiling point (at atmospheric pressure) of the monomeric mixture. In most cases, the polymerization temperature will be within the range of about 20 or 30 C., preferably at least 35 or 40 C., up to the boiling temperature of the mixture of monomers, depending, for example, upon the particular catalyst, if any,

. used, the rapidity of polymerization wanted and other inuencing factors. The use of polymeris placed' inf' a'"constant-jemmP Vrature; is maintained at 35' c'. Toph flux condenser, thermonieteiland ga,sxinletVtudlzneha g f hh edfaf' Staudinger-equation(reference: Ursfatent No.' 1000 parts of distilled Watela P126 "partwof 2,404,713). s. mi emulsf'ying' agent eoiiipr's" th sodiulnyls yto -Ifethe copolymerization reaction is carried out 30 lauryl sulfate. A rapidl^sti"amf piip" i'ld 'While the-mixedmonomers are=disso1ve`d or dise-' f"5ntrogen gas is passed joverthe surface of the perseddnra-liquid medium;efgsgimsolution insolution for 30 minutes. The nitrogen ow is water-,'-the1esultingdopolymer'ithen-'is'separatedf then reduced to aboutone 'biblef ;ermsee` from-the-saidmedi-um'cbyfa-ny vsuitable means; To the vessel is then added 15 parts of e. ige,.-fbyltrationyeentrifuging,Isolvent lextrac-"35 azokiisobutyronitrile. Thjpolimefizati' isoa tion,etc.ff i' fried out-for'3-7 hours at 6368 C.``""T`l'ie1esul "InfOIdel that those Skilld I). the art may better @Opolymel- 0f the aforementioned Starting y understand howthe'presentinvention can Hoe @mers is collected 0111@ BCIRQF funnel Washed carried fintopelfect, the following examples are with 2000 parts 0f deonjvl' andthen `given=-loyv way o'ililustratonandsfnot"by'way of "40 dried in a 70'Cfoven yf'or'abut l0 ur"s "f'l`h lim-itiation. A11 parts andk percentagesare VJoy f'yield of dried CODQlylfii1f "iii weight;V4 colored materialano Us to Eqffpzefl vExample 4 Th @1919 r lhst fef45 Essentially the same conditions and procedure *are employed as' Exlills Scwiilslthe exepton i.. kif

Example 5 Samples of the homopolymeri'c'acrylonitrile of Examplezl andwofuthfe, copolymers of Examples teme-wedde Systems consisting-fof @stiffartgo an #f1 31'? ub "t d .P0 e @tte of ammcnium'persifate andern-'partfofsodiumj A bislfitef (meta) eacha dissolved 1h 50 parts' ofy ioolnnlg aoxfn dggspzlymf?? waterfis thenadded.^-The solution rstbeiiomes`v` l f., f si.

20: h lscreenfis added t Ya dy ticularly from 1 or 2% to about 5 or l0 or 15%) of the initial acrylonitrile with a vinyl amino aromatic compound or an isopropenyl amino arcmatic compound of the kind With winch this invention is concerned, thereby to obtain a copolymeric acrylonitrile substance of improved dyeability, is therefore quite apparent.

Example 6 A reaction vessel, equipped with a stirrer, re-

flux condenser, thermometer and gas-inlet tube, is placed in a constant-temperature bath which is maintained at 60 C. To the vessel is added a solution of 47.7 parts of acrylonitrile, 5.3 parts of p-(dimethylamino)styrene, 900 parts of distilled water and 1.8 parts of sulfuric acid. A rapid stream of pre-purified nitrogen is passed over the surface of the solution for 30 minutes. The nitrogen flow is then reduced to about one bubble per second. To the vessel are next added 1.71 parts of ammonium persulfate, (NHUzSzGa. and 0.71 part of sodium bisulfite (meta), NazSzOs, each dissolved in 50 parts of distilled water. The polymerization is carried out for 4 hours at 60 C. The resulting copolymer is iiltered oi and dried at 70 C. It is a dark, brittle material having a nitrogen content of 22.46%. The specific viscosity of a 1% solution of this copolymer in dimethyl formamide at 25 C. is 0.23.

Example 7 Same as in Example 2 with the exception that instead of 73.5 parts of acrylonitrile there are used 70 parts of acrylonitrile and, in addition, 3.5 parts of methyl acrylate. Similar results are obtained.

Example 8 Same as in Example 2 with the exception that instead of 73.5 parts of acrylonitrile there are, used 70 parts of acrylonitrile and, in addition, 3.5 parts of acrylamide. Similar results are obtained.

Example 9 A round-bottomed reaction vessel equipped with a reflux condenser and heated on an oil bath is charged with parts of p-(dimethylaminolstyrene, 45 parts of acrylonitrile, 100 parts of toluene and 1 part of a,aazodiisobu tyronitrile. After heating the resulting reaction mass for two hours under reux at boiling temperature, the precipitated copolymer of acrylonitrile and p-(dimethylaminmstyrene is filtered off and dried. The yield amounts to 35 parts.

Example 10 To a reaction vessel equipped with a stirrer, reux condenser and thermometer are charged 1500 parts of deoxygenated distilled water, 95 parts of acrylonitrile and 1 part of aad-azodiisopropenylaniline is collected on a filter, Washed with water, then with methanol, and dried at 70? C. in vacuo for 5 hours. The yield of dry, light-colored copolymer amounts to 22.5 parts.

It will be understood, of course, by those skilled in the art that my invention is not limited to the specific ingredients named in the above illustrative examples nor to the particular proportions and methods of copolymerization mentioned therein. Thus, instead of the a,aazodiiso Y butyronitrile catalyst named in the different examples, any other polymerization catalyst or combination of polymerization catalysts, numerous examples of which have been given hereinbefore, can be used. Other catalysts and redoxcatalyst systems that can be employed are given in, for example, the copending application of Arthur Cresswell, Serial No. 76,667, led February 15, 1949, and in the various patents mentioned therein. f

Likewise, other modifying comonomers, in addition to the methyl acrylate named in Example 7 and the acrylamide specified in Example 8 can be used. Illustrative examples of such comonomers are vinyl compounds which are different Y from acrylonitrile (vinyl cyanide) and the vinyl matic hydrocarbons (e. g., styrene, isopropenyl toluene, the various dialkyl styrenes, etc.), other aliphatic compounds containing a CH2='C grouping, e. g., the various substituted acrylonitriles (e. g., methacrylonitrile, ethacrylonitrile, phenylacrylonitrile, etc.) the various substituted acrylamides (e. g., methacrylamide, ethacrylamide, the various N-substituted acrylamides and N-substituted alkacrylamides, for instance N-methylol acrylamide, N-monoalkyl and -dialkyl acrylamides and methacrylamides, e. g., N-monomethyl, -ethyl, -propyl, butyl, etc., and N-dimethyl, -ethyl, propyl, -butyL etc., acrylamides and methacrylamides, N-monoaryl and -diaryl acrylamides and alkacrylamides, e. g., N-monophenyl and -diphenyl acrylamides and methacrylamides, etc.), vinyl esters, e. g., vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, vinyl butyrate, vinyl isobutyrate, vinyl valerate, vinyl acrylate, vinyl methacrylate, etc., esters of an acrylic acid (including acrylic acid itself and the various alphasubstituted acrylic acids, e. g., methacrylic acid, ethacrylic acid, phenylacrylic acid, etc.), more particularly the alkyl esters of an acrylic acid, e. g., the ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, sea-butyl, tert-butyl, amyl, hexyl, heptyl, octyl, decyl, dodecyl, etc., esters of acrylic, methacrylic, ethacrylic, phenylacrylic, etc., acids including the alkyl acrylates containing not more than four carbon atoms in the alkyl grouping, examples of which are given above, as well as other vinyl aromatic and vinyl aliphatic compounds, and other compounds containing a CH2=C grouping, more particularly a single CH2=C grouping.

The proportions of any modifying comonomer tif :present -in the* polymerizable '-mixture-YA con- "It" stitute the remander of the-total amountfof comonomers which are subjected to copolymeriza- 11911.11`zjf 1v1 1'. '5:1 n' .f ,'..;':;i

I.lnsthe :preferred copolymer compositions Itmre particularlyA thermoplastic- 'copolymerf compositions) offkthe'@presentinventioii thexacryloriltril'e is employed in the mixture of comonomersflln anlamount-'such that at least 85% by weight of combined acrylonitrile is present in the copoylmeW-Wheni the/polymerization iat'es ifWthe acrylonitrile andi additional monomer: or monomersare diierent from each other, then it may be.-,neces'sary to start with anamountfof`r acrylontrile either'more or less than 85% by Weight of the total mixture of monomers in order that the nal copolymer will contain at least 85% by Weight of combined acrylonitrile in the copoylmer molecule. Similarly, in order that the nished copolymer shall contain, in the copolymer molecule, from about 1% to about 20% by weight of combined aromatic compound ofthe kind embraced by Formula I, preferably between about 2 or 3% and about 10 or 15%, it may be necessary to start with an amount of the said aromatic compound, either more or less than that which is present in the nished copoylmer in order that the said copolymer will have the ultimate composition desired or required in order to impart optimum dye receptivity thereto.

Although the new copolymers of this invention are particularly useful in the formation of fibers or filaments which are more amenable to dyeing than homopolymeric acrylonitrile, they also have numerous other applications in the plastics and coating arts. For instance, With or without a ller or other additive, they may be used as molding compositions (or as components of molding compositions) from which molded articles are produced by molding the compositions under heat and pressure, e. g., temperatures of the order` of 130 C. or 140 C. to 200 C. and under pressures up to 10,000 pounds or more per square inch. Among the fillers that can be employed in the production of molding compositions are alpha-cellulose pulp, asbestos bers, cotton ilock, chopped cloth cuttings, glass bers, wood ilour, antimony oxide, titanium dioxide, sand, clay, mica dust, diatomaceous earth, etc.

The polymerizable compositions of my invention can be used in the production of castings of any desired shape or size; as adhesives; in the treatment of paper or paper stock; in coating compositions; and for various other purposes. The copolymer can be formed in situ after application of the monomeric mixture to the base material to be coated, impregnated or otherwise treated.

Fibers can be produced from the copolymers of the present invention in the manner described in,l for example, Cresswell Patents 2,558,730 and 2,558,731 and Cresswellv and Wizon Patent Iclaim: Y w

1. A polymerizabl composition comprising (1) acrylonitrile and (2) a compind of the class of compounds represented 'by the general formula:

4 class consisting of hydrogen and the methyl compounds/ofL (2)--eon,stitutingefromwatboutl 1% to about20% by weight o;f thetotal amount o (l) and (2). el-Aproduct comprising the polymerizved composition of claim 1. i

3. A composition comprising a copolymer of a mixture of copolymerizable components including (l) acrylonitrile and (2) a compound of the class of compounds represented by the general ,en La .ed mi" formula:

R l Rl RII Hzc=o l"N/ L \Rlll n where R and R each represents a member of the class consisting of hydrogen and the methyl radical, R" and R" each represents a member of the class consisting of hydrogen and lower alkyl radicals containing from 1 to 5 carbon atoms, inclusive, and n represents a number selected from the class consisting of 1 and 2, the compound of (2) constituting from about 1% to about 15% by weight of the total amount of (1) and (2).

4. A composition comprising a copolymer of a mixture of copolymerizable components including (1) acrylonitrile and (2) a dialkylaminostyrene, said compound of (2) being otherwise unsubstituted and each of the alkyl radicals attached to the amino nitrogen atom containing from 1 to 5 carbon atoms, inclusive, and the said compound of (2) constituting from about 1% to about 15% by weight of the total amount of (1) and (2).

5. A composition comprising a copolymer oi a mixture of copolymerizable components including (1) acrylonitrile and (2) dimethylaminostyrene, the compound of (2) constituting from about 1% to about 15% by Weight of the total amount of (1) and (2).

`6. A composition comprising a copolymer of a mixture of copolymerizable components including (l) acrylonitrile and (2) an aminostyrene represented by the formula:

' NH3 the compound of (2) constituting from about NH: the compound of (2) constituting from about 1% to about 15% by weight of the total amount of (1) and (2).

9. The method of preparing a new copolymer which comprises polymerizing in an aqueous medium, with the aid of a polymerization catalyst, a mixture of copolymerizable components including (l) acrylonitrile and (2) a compound of the class of compounds represented by the general formula:

Where R and R each represents a member of the class consisting of hydrogen and the methyl radical, R." and R" each represents a member of the class consisting of hydrogen and lower alkyl radicals containing from 1 to 5 carbon atoms, inclusive, and n represents a number selected from the class consisting of 1 and 2, the compound of (2) constituting from about 1% to about 20% by weight of the total amount of (1) and (2).

JOHN J. PADBURY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

1. A POLYMERIZABLE COMPOSITION COMPRISING (1) ACRYLONITRILE AND (2) A COMPOUND OF THE CLASS OF COMPOUNDS REPRESENTED BY THE GENERAL FORMULA: 